The present invention relates to a gutter assembly for installation on a building for collecting and channelling rainwater run-off from the building's roof, and more particularly, to a means of actuating movement of the gutter assembly from an in-use collecting and channelling position to a substantially inverted cleaning position.
As is well known, gutters are typically mounted to a fascia board or similar structural member at the eaves of a roof and extend around the periphery thereof. In order to properly fulfil the function of collecting rainwater run-off from the roof and channelling that water away to a drain or water storage tank, the guttering needs to be maintained clear of leaves, twigs and other debris which tends to accumulate in the guttering from surrounding trees. Moreover, allowing debris to build up within the gutters causes the guttering to deteriorate prematurely.
The problems associated with cleaning and maintaining gutters are also quite well known. The biggest impediment in this regard is the problem of access. Access is a problem not only in relation to guttering being located several metres above the ground, and particularly so in multi-level buildings, but also in relation to access to the channel of the guttering itself which is often quite narrow and partially obstructed by the roofing. Since guttering tends to extend in substantial lengths, access is also generally required along the entire length of the gutter.
Cleaning of conventional guttering invariably involves the person responsible for maintenance of the gutters climbing a ladder in order to reach the gutters and may even involve this person precariously balancing themselves on the edge of the roof of the building to facilitate access to the gutter assembly. Such gutter cleaning procedures are both time consuming and dangerous.
Past attempts have been made to develop hinged or pivotally mounted gutter assemblies to facilitate the cleaning and maintenance process. Many of these arrangements however, include a high initial cost associated with installation and component failures rendering the system either inoperable or of reduced benefit. Moreover, although some of these prior art arrangements enable pivoting of the gutter assembly to be actuated from a ground position, they require manual interaction of an operator with the gutter assembly. Such mechanisms for actuating tilting of the gutters are likely to contravene health and safety regulations since they will typically involve an operator actuating the tilting mechanism using a hook-like implement mounted on an extensible pole whilst standing beneath the gutter to be tilted.
It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide an improved means of actuating titling of a gutter assembly to facilitate gutter cleaning and maintenance.